Striving For Perfection
by YourAngelicVampyre
Summary: After receiving some unsettling news, Lily's life falls apart. She starts feeling insecure about herself, and as a result, starts starving herself. James is the only one who notices, and is there to catch her... literally.


**Disclaimer -** I do not own the incredible Harry Potter series. J.K Rowling does. The only thing I own are some characters I made up.

**Author's Note -** So, I've been reading some Marauder Era fanfictions, and I was inspired to write my own story about Lily and James. So, I hope you guys might find this fanfiction enjoyable.

_Flames._ They are accepted, but I would appreciate constructive criticism that would help me improve my writing.

**Summary**** -** After receiving some unsettling news, Lily's life falls apart. She starts feeling insecure about herself, and as a result, starts starving herself. James is the only one who notices, and is there to catch her... literally.

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><p>Lily laughed as she and her friends descended the staircase that led to the Gryffindor common room. Like always, the common room was warm, as the vivacious embers in the fireplace would always burn. It wasn't a stifling heat, like the Divination classroom, though. It gave off warmth that filled the soul. It made the room comfortable.<p>

Lily had five incredible friends that she was so fortunate to have. They were always there for her, no matter what.

Katharine Manday was, perhaps, the most dramatic of the group. She hardly dated anybody, though, because she was scared of having her heart broken. Even though she tended to gossip often, she was a very amicable person that would brighten up a room often. It came naturally to her. Katharine was a stunning girl when it came to appearances. She was quite tall, with an hour glass figure. Her long blond hair was radiant like the sun and flowed gracefully past her shoulders. Her sparkling blue eyes always showed what emotions she was feeling, which was something she hated about herself as she thought it made her vulnerable. Plus, it made her a terrible liar. She was a fun person to be with, but she had boundaries and knew when it was time to act serious.

Emmeline Vance was the kindest and wisest in their group. Whenever she saw fights ocurring, she would try her best to stop them. She was fairly pretty with light brown hair that was naturally straight. Her hazel eyes usually gleamed with happiness. Emmeline got decent grades, and all the teachers seemed to like her reasonably well. She was very patient, and planned on becoming a Healer when she graduated from Hogwarts.

Marlene McKinnon was a spontaneous girl. You never knew what she was up to or what she was planning. One minute she could be sweet and bubbly, but the next she could be upset or moody. She was also an excellent liar. Marlene was a fantastic dueler and was great at Transfiguration. Her brown eyes showed a myriad of mischief, but she doesn't pull off as many pranks as the Marauders do. Professors adored her, even if her sarcasm would irk them at times. She didn't care about what people thought about her. Her hair was like a river of curls that flowed a couple of inches past her shoulders. Overall, though, she was a great person to have around.

Alice Fortescue was a short, but graceful girl. She had the tiniest waist line, but wasn't even flat-chested. She was planning on becoming an Auror when she left Hogwarts, and she succeeded particularly well in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Alice was currently engaged to Frank Longbottom, the man she's fancied since Fifth Year. They wrote to each other every day, as he had graduated Hogwarts the year previous. Alice was a cunning girl, and would often use that against other people. Like Marlene, she didn't care whether people disliked her or not. She was a positive female, that was very outgoing. Her black hair was cropped up to her shoulders, and even though her eye color was quite a dreary gray, they were always filled with passion and life. She loved risks, and suffered from quite a few detentions.

Dorcas Meadowes was probably the closest to Lily. Dorcas was very daring, and was faced with the most detentions throughout the group of girls. While Alice was the mastermind behind the pranks they would pull, Marlene and Dorcas were the ones to put it in action. Dorcas was somebody to speak her mind, but a plethora of students disliked her because of the subtle comments she would usually make. She was real. Her black hair that reached up to her shoulders was often pulled into a ponytail. Her eyes were the color of the stone onyx, and she often complained that they looked like dung. Dorcas was rather skinnier than most girls her age, but that was hidden by the bulky robes students were required to wear. Plenty of guys liked Dorcas, and she tended to flirt with them, even though she didn't get romantically involved with them. She wasn't one for commitment.

Lily was the one in the group who had a fierce temper, which was proven by the constant bickering between James Potter and herself. Lily had dark red hair that cascaded down to her arse like a waterfall. She had stunning eyes that were the color of emeralds. She was only a couple of inches taller than Alice, but shorter than Dorcas. The ginger weighed the most among the group of girls, but wasn't actually considered fat. Lily was Head Girl, and was the one to stop things from going too far out of hand. But, she did allow a lot of fun to break out. However, the group didn't always tell her when they were planning pranks. Lily had the best grades amongst the group, and was the one who had to help the others with Potions. Her skin was pallid; one of the perks of being a ginger. She was a responsible girl and could easily be trusted with secrets. Unlike Emmeline, she wasn't very patient, which was one of the qualities she wanted to change about herself.

As soon as Lily's foot touched the scarlet carpetting of the common room, Lily saw a head swivel towards their direction. James Potter.

James Potter was Head Boy. According to Lily, he was an arrogant toerag, but even she had to admit that he matured this year. He was lean and muscled, though not overly so. Girls usually fawned over him, wanting to be in a relationship with him. However, he had his eye on one girl, Lily Evans. He had messy black hair that was incapable of ever being considered neat by most people's standards. Over the summer, his skin had tanned slightly. His hazel eyes were somewhat obscured by the glasses he wore, but they always twinkled happily. Even though he didn't apply himself as much as possible, he received excellent marks. He tended to joke around a lot, and was a fun person to hang out with.

Sitting next to him was his notorious best friend, Sirius Black. His shaggy raven colored hair fell messily around the sides of his face. His gray eyes sparkled with a sense of foreboding, as if he was planning something. Sirius was sneaky, and pulled pranks every week. He probably had the most detentions out of anybody who set their foot into the castle, followed by James. His marks were decent, but he didn't bother studying, so they weren't as good as they could've been. He dated the majority of the female population of Hogwarts, save for the Gryffindor Seventh Year girls. He's never been in a relationship for longer than two months, but girls always fell for his charm.

Remus Lupin was the most intelligent of the bunch, and the one Lily liked the most. He was a Prefect, meaning he was responsible. He got top marks, and was actually sweet and sensitive. He was awfully pale and always seemed to be weary. His hair was a light brown, and his eyes were a very light, but piercing, blue. Remus was a very patient young man, and was probably the most mature member of the Marauders, as they had dubbed themselves as.

The last member of the group was Peter Pettigrew. He practically worshipped the other three, and was rather pathetic in comparison. His thick hair was a mousy brown that usually looked unkempt and dirty. He was pale and his face was smattered with freckles. His nose was rather large, and his gray eyes were dull. Peter always stuffed his face with food, which can explain why the boy was overweight. His grades were poor, and Remus had to tutor him so he didn't fail. Unlike with the other boys in his house and year, girls didn't really give him the time of day.

Dorcas said, "So, do you guys remember that Hufflepuff I dated for a short while a couple of years ago, Jacob Ashford?" After she was satisfied that they did know what she was talking about, she continued, "Well, I had detention last night with him. We're just standing there scrubbing the trophies, and once Filch left the room because he heard some disturbance, he snuck up behind me and whispered in my ear, 'I'll womp your willow.' I was honestly scared that he'll rape me or something. I was so relieved when Filch came in and started yelling at him."

Apparently, they were close enough to the Marauders, that they were able to hear what they were saying, since Sirius Black cheekily yelled, "I'd womp your willow anytime, Meadowes!" Sirius then winked at her.

Dorcas rolled her eyes, and retorted, "In your dreams, Black."

Marlene cleared her throat, before asking, "Why'd you even date him, Dorcas?"

"I didn't know he was a loser!" Dorcas started flailing her arms helplessly to emphasize her statement.

Sirius snorted, "How could you not know? Everybody in Hufflepuff is a loser!"

"That's not true," Alice stated serenely. "Lily's boyfriend is in Hufflepuff and he's not a pathetic Peter Pettigrew." Peter blushed and looked uncomfortable after she basically insulted him.

James's gaze left Lily's face which was starting to make her feel strange. He spoke up and said, "What do you call a Hufflepuff with two brain cells?"

Sirius immediately answered, "Pregnant." Peter chuckled, but was the only one who did.

Lily said, "Was that actually supposed to be funny?"

Hazel eyes met her green ones, and James replied, "Well, I guess it would be based off your interpretation of humor, and unless you have the humor of a dry wall, then, it should've been quite humorous.

Dorcas spoke up, "Well then, I guess we have the humor of a dry wall, which is just as well. Anyways, I don't know about you, but I'm starving and want to eat breakfast. So, goodbye." She grabbed Alice's and Lily's arms and started pulling them forward, along with Emmeline and Katharine.

"Meadowes, wait!" James called after her. "There's Quidditch practice tonight at four!"

Dorcas looked over her shoulder and yelled, "I'll be there!"

Dorcas was a Chaser, and has been on the Quidditch team since third year. Normally, she was quite friendly with James, but for Lily's benefit, she acted rude around him when she was around. James knew about this facade, and didn't exactly find it offensive. In fact, he often played along, and the duo would swap insults with each other when Lily was nearby. However, when Lily was gone, the two would talk casually and joke around.

The group of Gryffindors marched down the stairs. A formidable silence fell over them, which was starting to become slightly awkward. The silence was broken, however, when hurried footsteps were heard, and a voice screeched, "Dorcas!"

Dorcas skidded to a stop, sighing. She knew that voice, unfortunately. Ever so slowly, she turned around, facing Jacob Ashford.

Jacob was the chubby, yet somewhat adorable, kid that fancied the socks off of Dorcas, even though they weren't seeing each other anymore. His hair was short and brown. Jacob's eyes were the color of amber, but his eyes lacked emotion, other than adoration for Dorcas. He was as dull as dishwater, and spends most of his time by doing something that concerned Dorcas, such as talking about her to nobody in particular or following her. Which was what he was currently doing: following her.

His lips curled upwards slightly, and he asked her, "I was wondering if you could maybe help me make banners to support you when you guys play against Slytherin. I mean, I already know that you're going to score the most goals, so you need support. Lots of it. So, what about it?"

Dorcas bit her lip, and grimaced. She really wished he would move on and stop bothering her. She hesitated for one more moment, before blurting, "I can't. I'm doing something tonight."

Jacob's eyebrows contracted together, and his small smile faltered. "Oh, so you're busy studying tonight? If that's the case, we can set up a study date and finish our assigments, before making the posters." He cheered up immensely at the thought of a study date, and started bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Er, no," she fumbled with her fingers. She told him plenty of times before that she wasn't interested in him, but the message would never penetrate into the depths of his brain. It was futile. And, frankly, she didn't want to break his heart after continuously seeing the devotion he felt for her. Which was why she tried avoiding contact with him in the hopes that he would forget about her and move on. Wishes could only go so far, however.

He cocked his head sideways, hurt etched upon his face. "Why not?"

Dorcas hesitated for a few brief moments, before responding. "Uh, because I have a date."

"With who?"

Dorcas glanced around her, and her eyes saw the Marauders coming their way, obviously heading to the Great Hall. "Sirius Black," she answered without thinking. As soon as the name left her lips, she mentally kicked herself.

Jacob opened his mouth several times to speak, but shrugged before running away.

"Awh, poor bloke," Marlene clucked her tongue. "He's probably going to write to his mum now, badgering her about his infatuation with Dorcas over here." She heaved a sigh, before breathlessly saying, "Ah, the woes of love..."

Dorcas started dragging her companions down the stairs, before the Marauders were able to reach them. They arrived in the Great Hall shortly after.

Breakfast was in full chaos by the time they entered. Owls were sweeping in through the windows, parcels and envelopes hanging from their sharp talons. The clattering of dishes and silverware echoed audibly amongst the din of chattering and laughter.

The food was scrumptious, as always. There was toast that was slathered with butter. The scrambled eggs were lumpy, segmented, and soggy, but delicious nonetheless. Piles of sausages were stacked on top of each other on platters. Greasy strips of bacon were placed on plates, that never seemed to empty since the House Elves in the Kitchens were working.

Lily's diminutive tawny owl swooped down to the Gryffindor table, carrying a thick envelope.

"Who is it from?" Emmeline, who was sitting across from Lily, asked once her owl Baltimore flew away.

"It's from home..." Lily's eyebrows knit together in confusion. She never received letters from home unless it was a special occasion, such as her birthday or Christmas. So, naturally, the letter came as a surprise. The ginger shook her head, and hastily ripped the envelope open.

The contents of the letter was unbelievably shocking to her. She refused to let the words sink in. It couldn't be true. It just _couldn't_. However, after reading it multiple times, the words begun to seep in. Her eyes watered, and a couple of tears trickled slowly down her pale cheeks. After reading it once more, she crumpled it up, standing up. Her friends were staring at her in bewilderment and curiosity, but she didn't care. She raced out of the Great Hall, clutching the letter to her chest tightly...

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><p>So, this chapter was mainly an introduction and explanation of the characters, but there is a plot. And, if anybody is wondering, Jacob does have a role in this story. Anyways, the chapters will get longer, and I hope you'll end up liking the story as it progresses.<p> 


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